A Look into the Exquisite Russian Ballet

Although ballet did not originate in Russia, the country contributed much to its development and today Russian ballet is renowned the world over. A number of outstanding ballet dancers, ballet companies and performances have come out of Russia and Russian ballet theatres attract large crowds every year.

Ballet came to Russia during the 1700s when Peter the Great was instituting his Westernization program. In 1734 Russia's very first ballet school was founded. A few years later the St. Petersburg's Imperial School of Ballet introduced the first ballet company in Russia. At first ballet in Russia was dominated by French and Italian choreographers as well as dances. However, during the 1800s Russia truly made ballet its own even incorporating some ideas from local folk dancing. During this time nobles did much to promote the art by sponsoring serf dance companies. A major figure in Russian ballet history is Marius Petipa. This French choreographer become renowned for producing Tchaikovsky's ballets.

As the twentieth century rolled in, Russian ballet saw a new era. In 1909 famed Sergey Diaghilev along with Michel Fokine (a choreographer), Alexandre Benois (a designer) and Vaslav Nijinksy (a dancer) established a touring ballet company. By the time of his death in 1929, Ballet Russe, is dance company was set-up in Paris. Also during this era, exquisite Russian dancer Anna Pavlova was taking the world by storm.

Soon many other dance companies were formed, referring to themselves as Ballet Russe. The 1920s was marked as a period of ballet innovation. During Stalin's dictatorship traditional forms of ballet were promoted. Some of the ballet performances were even adjusted to include a socialist theme. Mikhail Baryshnikov was amongst the greatest known ballet dancers of the 20th century.

Today Russian ballet is known through the world and enjoyed by visitors to the country. A number of Russian ballet companies are in operation. Amongst these are the Imperial Russian Ballet, Kremlin Ballet and Perm Ballet Academy. These are discussed further in this section. Russia's prominent cities have founded their own ballet theatres and symphony orchestras, attended by large numbers of patrons. Your Russian experience is not complete until you have attended a ballet performance at one of the outstanding theatres.

The History of Russian Ballet

Before the beginnings of ballet, Italy was the site of beautiful, expensive spectacles that took place in large banquet halls instead of theaters. These lavish combinations of dance, poetry, and other art forms were performed between the many courses of large dinner parties.

Actual ballet dances developed in the 1700s by French dancers and choreographers such as Charles Didelot and Jean Dauberval. This was about the same time period in which ballerinas began to dance en pointe in specially strengthened shoes.

Russian ballet originated in a group of dance academies in Moscow and St Petersburg in the eighteenth century. At first the dancers were from poor backgrounds - usually from orphanages - but the Tsars were particular ballet enthusiasts and so the profile grew. However, in the nineteenth century some of the best French and Italian dancers and teachers went to Russia and ballet developed considerably more than in western Europe where opera was preferred. It was under this climate that Russian ballet led the way in classical dance with such famous stars as Anna Pavlova, Mikhail Foskine and the legendary Nijinsky, who all trained with the Frenchman Marius Petipa at the St Petersburg Imperial Ballet.

The contribution of Russian ballet to the world of classical dance cannot be underestimated, but it is sad to note that this came at a price. After the Russian revolution, many of Russia's leading dancers fled to the west where European ballet troupes benefited from their technical brilliance and developed as a result.

Back in the Soviet Union, the new order dictated that the arts should reflect socialism and use edifying stories, although the technical skill that Russian ballet was associated with was still present. Yury Grigorovich, in charge of the Bolshoi Ballet, took his dancers on acclaimed tours outside the Soviet Union with ballets such as "Ivan the Terrible" - while they were successfully received they were, perhaps, not what people most wanted to see being performed.

From the 1960s onwards, many leading dancers from the Bolshoi had defected to the west - big names such as Nureyev, Baryshnikov and Markova all left, looking for more money and the opportunity to work more freely as they felt creatively stifled. Grigorovich had problems with his dancers until the 1980s but did not resign until the mid 1990s, by which time the unlikely figure of Boris Yeltsin had become involved in the tribulations at the Bolshoi.

Things were less strained at the Kirov which survived the Soviet period more or less unscathed and continued to develop its high standards under the directorship of Oleg Vinogradov.

Russian ballet has for many decades been regarded as the barometer of classical dance; where it leads, others follow. While young girls all over the world long to become ballerinas, their dreams have been influenced by the Russian greats and the wonderful; Russian ballets that have enchanted audiences the world over.

About the author:

About the author: I come from Russia and I was once studied in Harvard University. When my friends bought flowers, chocolates to please their girlfriends, I was reading books about russia art which told me the past of russia art and the development trend of it. I never feel regret for it. If you have the same interest with me, I'd be very happy to be friends with you. You can send email or visit florist to contact me.